Archival Documents

For each virtual exhibit we create we have a bibliography of the archival documents we used.

We do this because, in order to tell these Edmonton stories, we access records from all over the City of Edmonton Archives and by doing so we are removing these records from their context.

Context

Providing the context is important because, in these exhibits, the records can look like they are a cohesive whole when they are not; they are related by subject but not usually through origin.

This bibliography will show where these disparate records come from, grouping them by creator rather than by subject. Knowing who created these records, and when, can help in understanding their meaning. From this you can start to think about why the records were created, too.

Perspective

Our exhibit is only one way to tell the story and someone else may tell it differently, even if they use the same records. Having this Archival Documents section gives you the opportunity to look at the records from your perspective, not just ours, and to consider other ways that the story can be told.

What's Missing?

Another thing to keep in mind is that, by looking at our records in their original context this way, you can think about what's missing. No archives is ever complete and we need to keep that in mind when we're telling history from imperfect sources.